[Intro] [Verse] Gator in the reeds, he don’t make a sound Ancestors stirrin' deep beneath this ground! Silver on the tongue, copper in the palm Summon up the storm in the midnight calm! Moss is hangin' heavy from the willow tree Sign the blackwater ledger and set your spirit free! [Pre-Chorus] (High-strung, frantic vocal stacks, each layer slightly off-kilter) Turn the page... pay the debt! Sun’s gone down, but it ain’t gonna set! Higher and higher! Burn the swamp fire! [Chorus] (Explosive, manic vocal stacks, wide and theatrical) Step in the mud, join the ghost parade! Best watch your soul in the bargain made! Piano’s screamin' like a sinner’s cry! Watch the spirits dancin' where the herons fly! (Hahaha! Drag it slow! Oh-h-h, reap what you sow!) [Hook] (Whispered, twitchy percussive chant) Ink and bone... Take the throne... (A sudden, frantic trumpet blast) [Verse] Blueberry wine turned to vinegar and gall Spirit world is listenin' when the bullfrogs call! Candle wax a-drippin' on a cypress root Tread soft, traveler, in your Sunday boot! Crossroads waitin' with a rusted gate Better move fast 'fore you meet your fate! [Pre-Chorus] (Building multi-layered harmony, vocals becoming more strained and operatic) Turn the page... pay the debt! Sun’s gone down, but it ain’t gonna set! Higher and higher! Burn the swamp fire! [Chorus] (Maximum vocal density, unhinged and soaring energy) Step in the mud, join the ghost parade! Best watch your soul in the bargain made! Piano’s screamin' like a sinner’s cry! Watch the spirits dancin' where the herons fly! (Don't look back! Drag it slow! Oh-h-h, reap what you sow!) [Bridge - The Crossroads Breakdown] (Music strips back to a rhythmic stomp. Vocals are high-pitched and twitchy) Handshake cold? (Ooh!) Bargain told! Silver bought! Spirit caught! (Piano returns with a chaotic, playful mess of notes) Pay the man! Pay the man! PAY THE MAN! [Hook - Maximum Theatricality] Ink and bone... Take the throne... [Final Verse - Fast and Erratic] The ledger’s gonna close with a heavy sound Don't look back when you leave this ground! Mist is swallowin' up the velvet light Lost in the rhythm of the endless night! One world movin' to a wicked beat Feel the swamp a-sinkin' underneath your feet! [Chorus - Grand Finale] (Full wall of sound, massive manic harmonies) Step in the mud, join the ghost parade! Best watch your soul in the bargain made! Piano’s screamin' like a sinner’s cry! Watch the spirits dancin' where the herons fly! (Oh-h-h, drag it slow, oh-h-h, reap what you sow!) [Outro] (The piano slows down, hitting playful but wrong notes. A sudden, sharp gasp for air) Blackwater ledger... Did you sign it? Did ya?! (Final record scratch) [End]
